Murder #236 for 2007 in Philly today

I live about halfway between Washington and Baltimore, so I've become somewhat desensitized to all the crime around here. The last time I was in Philadelphia on business, a security guard started warning me about all the crime in the city. All I had to say was, "Dude, I'm from Baltimore," and he clammed up real fast.

Of course, the county I live in (Howard) is the most affluent in Maryland. We see all the crime on the news, but it doesn't really happen in our community. Last time I checked, homicides in the county were in the single digits. There was a murder a few weeks ago, and all of a sudden all the stores and apartments had Crimestoppers posters up, and there was a community meeting planned. Compared to where I used to live, in PG County right outside DC, where it wasn't uncommon to hear gunshots at night, it's laughable how much the folks around here get worked up over a murder.

Jam it back in, in the dark.